Scotch Whisky Auctions have “been inundated with bottles for the 14th auction and now have to close it. Any bottles not already intimated to us will now be for the 15th auction”.
Exciting times…visit SWA at www.scotchwhiskyauctions.com
www.ralfy.com ask you to join him with Whisky Review 272 – Laphroaig 10yo (Islay Region) . . . where the rain never stops, even when it’s dry!!!
Father’s Day Outturn Offerings – May 2012
A wee seductress of a dram
Cask No. 24.121
Highlands, Speyside
The nose created an image – a polished antique table by a glowing log fire (with polished brass fender); on the table – a rich rib–eye steak, also ripe fruits, olives, sun-dried tomatoes – and then honey, toffee, mocha and chocolate orange to round it off. The palate offered glorious vanilla, candy, marzipan sweetness, with stewed rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries, plus toasted pine nuts. Water sparklified it, bringing sherbet, vanilla ice-cream and pineapple or mango sorbet to the nose. The palate just became sweet, fruity and a very easy-drinking, moreish, wee seductress of a dram. The distillery boasts a ‘story of oak’ exhibition.
Drinking tip: A great session dram – throw away the cork!
Colour: Spun gold
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 20 years
Date distilled: April 1991
Alcohol: 46.6%
$140
Autumn Equinox on Islay
Cask No. 29.103
Islay, South Shore
The first nose is like an equinoxial gale: sea-salt and seaweed, fresh and pungent, with coal smoke and the Waverley (paddle steamer) engine-room; traces of Brylcream and oil-skins. Surprisingly sweet to taste; very salty, very smoky, with tarry rope. Water introduces mineral notes – face scrub, salt crust; barnacles and mussels on a harbour wall. The smoke has become a plate of mixed sea-food, some of it smoked. Soft and sweet to taste, with salt and smoke in the finish. This example lives up to the distillery’s reputation as ‘The Salty Dog of Malts’.
Drinking tip: A table for two by a log fire, picking at a sea-food platter
Colour: Pale gold
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 13 years
Date distilled: April 1998
Alcohol: 57.5%
$110
Egyptian tobacco
Cask No. 35.57
Highlands, Speyside (Lossie)
Robust with a huge amount of finesse and complexity the Panel thought this a masculine dram. One Panellist likened it to a double bass in the orchestra; seriously smooth with a long finish to taste this took us on a real journey. Water opened it up making it lively yet deep and rich; it had now become a cello. To taste this was remarkable and satisfying, beautifully fresh and lively for its age yet thick and mouth-coating; this has everything expect for its age yet still retains youthful vigour. From the Elgin based distillery that was once a brewery.
Drinking tip: As a celebratory drink with friends
Colour: Amber encrusted orange
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 34 years
Date distilled: December 1976
Alcohol: 53.8%
$240
A tonic to lift the spirits
Cask No. 105.15
Highlands, Speyside
Clean, fresh and simple on the nose, with saddle soap and leather polish to start, then dentists’ mouthwash, pine needles and tonic water, with ‘Daim Bar’ (praline covered with chocolate) after a while. Not as sweet a taste as expected; cooling mint and liquorice; slightly salty, but with chocolate in the aftertaste. The cooling effect becomes more pronounced with water – minty and mentholated (‘Hoola-Hoola Ice Powder’, for those who have been to Thailand); caramel, tobacco and nasturtiums. Now much sweeter to taste, though still lightly mouth-cooling, with dark chocolate in the finish. The distillery, built in the 1950s, was designed by a Past President of the Royal Academy.
Drinking tip: A chill-out dram after dangerous sports
Colour: Deep amber
Cask: First-fill Sherry hogshead
Age: 28 years
Date distilled: September 1983
Alcohol: 55.4%
$180
Citric, floral, sweet and herbal
Cask No. 121.47
Highlands, Arran
Immediately inviting with initial smells of vanilla sponge cake, lemons, pineapple and thick floral honey. This was mirrored in the taste but a slight spirity note and white pepper heat counterbalanced the thick juicy sweetness. The addition of water brought out herbal characters (verbena, lemon thyme), more citrus, white peaches, dry wood chips while one Panellist was reminded of a spring meadow after a heavy rainfall. On the palate it was light, floral, woody, juicy sweet, and citric; a slightly bitter woody aftertaste helped to create a whole mouthfeel. Eagles nested in the distillery buildings halting construction for six months.
Drinking tip: Perfect as an aperitif
Colour: Barbadian sunrise
Cask: Refill barrel
Age: 12 years
Date distilled: December 1998
Alcohol: 56.5%
$105
Please visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America at www.smwsa.com
DOUBLE GOLD FOR ALL THREE BUNNAHABHAIN SINGLE MALTS
Bunnahabhain, pronounced Bū-na-ha-venn and which is produced on the world-famous Isle of Islay, took double gold for its 12-, 18- and 25-year old single malt whiskies at this years’ San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
The three whiskies were finished using the un-chillfiltered process which represents a return to the traditional way of whisky-making. This new range of un-chillfiltered whiskies recently replaced the 12-, 18- and 25-year-old chillfiltered single malt whiskies that were previously on sale across the globe including South Africa.
Brian Glass, Bunnahabhain’s marketing manager for Southern-Africa, said he was delighted that the entire range received this distinction.
“The process of un-chillfiltering results in whisky in its purest form and it’s quite astounding how much depth of flavour, aroma, colour and character this traditional process imparts to the whisky.
“Bunnahabhain has always been famous for its gentle taste profile and superior quality but with the un-chillfiltered range it seems that the true nature of these whiskies is really coming to the fore,” Glass said.
Un-chillfiltering is the way whisky was made before chillfiltration was introduced in the 1970s for cosmetic reasons. During chillfiltration the temperature of the whisky is dropped to 0°C before forcing it through filters which removes the fatty esters. This produces a “polished” whisky that offers consistency of colour and when bottled at 43% alcohol by volume does not become slightly hazy when chilled. But the trade-off is the loss of some of the flavour and character in the final whisky.
In the case of Bunnahabhain’s un-chillfiltered range, the whisky’s temperature is not reduced and the precious esters are allowed to pass undisturbed through the filters. This results in a full depth of flavour, aroma, colour and character. Although the higher alcohol strength at 46,3% keeps the whisky stable it does become slightly hazy when mixed with water or ice, a distinctive trait of un-chillfiltered whiskies.
Some whisky connoisseurs believe the higher alcohol enhances the character of the whisky. The whisky expert Dominic Roskrow recently wrote about the new un-chillfiltered range that “the extra strength is to the whisky like what High Definition is to television, bringing the oral sensation into sharp focus”.
Unlike most single malts from Islay, Bunnahabhain is crafted from unpeated malted barley and pure spring water untainted by the peaty moorlands.
The whiskies are available at fine liquor outlets and retail for about R530 (12-year old), R835 (18-year old) and R2 200 (25-year old).
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Dear Friends of Laphroaig, Eighteen years ago in May, the first ever Friend of Laphroaig stood proudly on his very own square foot of Islay. Since then, over half a million of you have claimed your land and joined him as Friends of Laphroaig. During that time we have shared some momentous moments with our FOLs – we’ve witnessed wedding ceremonies on the plots, ashes scattered on them and we’ve even met some FOLs with Laphroaig tattoos. It really has been a magical eighteen years. The Friends of Laphroaig tartan To mark such a momentous occasion, we thought it was about time that we created an official Friends of Laphroaig tartan. Your help has been invaluable to us over the years, from shaping the new website and designing the FOL crest logo, to the creation of the much loved Quarter Cask expression. It was only natural, therefore, that you would be our first port of call when it came to designing this tartan. Who better to design the FOL tartan than an actual FOL? We’ve created a simple and fun tartan making app to help you generate your designs. It’s quick and easy to use, you just pick your colours and band sizes and we generate the design for you right there and then. Once your tartan has been submitted it will appear in our gallery along with all of the other submissions and FOLs will be encouraged to vote for their favourite designs.
The top 20 designs will be judged by the distillery team and the overall winner will become the official FOL tartan. The winner will receive a luxurious kilt produced to their design by Gordon Covell of the Islay Woolen Mill. You may recognise Gordon’s name from our website, where we have a short video of him in action. He is also known for creating the tartans worn in films such as Braveheart, Forrest Gump and Rob Roy, so you can be assured of the finest craftsmanship. If designing your own tartan doesn’t appeal, you can still help to determine the winner by voting for your favourite in our gallery. This will be known as our official tartan for many years to come so it is important to us that you all play a part in its creation. You have until 31st May to submit your tartan or to vote on a winner. I’ll be raising a dram to the Friends of Laphroaig as often as I can during this birthday month; I hope that you can join me wherever you may be in the World! To another eighteen years of FOL! Slàinte
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For more information about becoming a Friend of Laphroaig visit www.laphroaig.com
Loch Fyne Whiskies Stocks, ‘Bruichladdich Black Art 3’
Bruichladdich Black Art 3 1989 22yo
48.7% abv
£91.50 inc vat
£76.25 ex vat
Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk
Bunnahabhain 1990 Sherry Cask #18
The latest dark sherry butt bottled by fine wine & spirit merchants Berry Bros & Rudd. Distilled 1990 and bottled 2012 from a refill sherry butt. The nose is brimming with sweet sherry, dried fruits and marzipan while the taste is an intense malt leaving no doubt of its sherry cask origins.
Why many lucky Dads will get this unique Fathers’ Day surprise!
London May 2012: “Suntory Japanese whiskies are riding a wave of popularity among top bar managers, high class retailers and whisky connoisseurs”, says Kazuyuki Takayama, Suntory Whisky Marketing Manager. “These whiskies are in demand for trade and consumer sampling as word gets around and consumers are putting them high up on the Father’s Day gift list. Whether it is the Hibiki 17 year old blended whisky, a Yamazaki or Hakushu 12 year old single malt, lucky dads will be soon be enjoying one of the world’s great whiskies on Father’s Day.
Hibiki 17 Year Old Blended Japanese Whisky
Yamazaki 12 Year Old Single Malt Japanese Whisky
Suntory is a distiller of international renown having won more than 60 international gold, silver and bronze medals and awards for the excellence of its whiskies. These include Best Malt Whisky in the World, Best Blended Whisky in the World and Distiller of the Year.
The Suntory reputation is such that whisky lovers go that extra distance to track down their favourite Suntory single malt or blended whisky. They know Japanese whisky has its own unique tastes and flavours and is very different from Scottish whisky. Many non-whisky drinkers also find Suntory whiskies a great introduction to whisky because it deliver tastes and flavours which they really enjoy.
Hakushu 12 Year Old Single Malt Japanese Whisky
Managers of many leading lifestyle bars have been praising the values of these whiskies and say once their customers try a Suntory whisky they usually come back for more. They will be found in bars like China Tang at The Dorchester, 45 Park Lane, and Le Meridien.
In the shops they will be found in retail outlets like Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, the Whisky Shop, Whisky Mile, Milroys, Gerry’s of Soho, and leading independent off-trade outlets. Available also online at outlets like the Whisky Exchange (www.thewhiskyexchange.com) and Master of Malts.
In case of difficulty in locating Suntory whiskies simply contact the UK distributor Cellar Trends – on Tel: 01283 217703 email sales@cellartrends.co.uk www.cellartrends.co.uk
Hi all,
A Taste from the Past – Grant’s Royal 12 Years Old (bottled in the 1970s)
Good afternoon all,
Frequent readers of this blog will be familiar with Grant’s Royal after I reviewed two versions of this old blend (one from the 80s and one from the 90s). This week I’m going even further back in time with this bottle of Grant’s Royal from the early 1970s.
After doing a bit of research, I…(please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article)…
Kind regards,
Ludo
